Work on Cleveland's winding, risky Inner Belt could move up a decade or more with new money from the Ohio Turnpike, ODOT officials say.

It's one example of long-delayed projects that would flow more quickly through the pipeline under Gov. John Kasich's plan to finance up to $3 billion in projects -- mostly in northern Ohio -- by raising tolls on the Ohio Turnpike.

Kasich rejected a lease of the turnpike or placing it under the Ohio Department of Transportation, instead announcing Thursday that Ohio will issue more debt through the newly named Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission.

A change in law will allow the toll road to finance projects outside its borders.

But the state would have lost control of tolls and put 1,000 turnpike jobs at risk, Kasich said.

"It bothers me to just turn over an asset unless you define what they'll do with it," Kasich, a Republican, said. "When it came to the turnpike, there was the issue of tolls, there was the issue of maintenance."

State Democrats criticized the plan's need for yearly toll increases. Rates will rise, capped at the rate of inflation, for each of the next 10 years.

"Increasing tolls is not only wrong for individuals and families, it is also wrong for businesses," Sen. Nina Turner, of Cleveland, said. "The communities of Northeast Ohio deserve to know why."

Kasich's plan is also a political ploy, Democrats said.

"Don't be deceived," Rep. Matt Lundy of Elyria said. "We're coming up on a governor's re-election race here and, believe me, the governor wants to go around the state handing out checks, looking like he has really listened to Ohioans, which he has not on this issue."

Kasich and others noted that turnpike tolls have risen faster than the rate of inflation over the last 20 years, yet remain low compared with other toll roads.

Tolls for local trips by drivers using E-Zpass will remain frozen for 10 years, under the governor's proposal.

A number of local leaders, including Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, hailed Kasich's plan.

It means projects like converting the West Shoreway into a pedestrian-friendly boulevard will get done more quickly, Jackson said.

"This is the best outcome around a very anxious decision that he had to make," Jackson said.

The new money will accelerate work on the Inner Belt (Interstate 90) by a decade or more, ODOT officials said.

But the next phase, the $500 million-plus makeover of the Central Interchange, wasn't scheduled to start until 2030, ODOT officials said.

The turnpike could issue $1 billion in bonds by next fall, and another $500 million four years later.

Officials believe they can leverage those bonds with federal and local cash to raise $3 billion. That could result in up to 65,000 jobs over the next six years, according to Kasich.

The governor's plan means stability for about 1,000 turnpike workers, whose fate hung in the balance.

Most of them are represented by Teamsters Local 436. President Gary Tiboni was pleased.

"It's absolutely the best Christmas present I could give to my maintenance people and toll collectors," Tiboni said.

The bond issue will include money for the turnpike. It has $3.3 billion in needs, including replacing the original concrete base, over the next 50 years.

During an upbeat news conference, Kasich and ODOT officials said nothing about the increased financial risk the turnpike takes on by issuing more debt.

Fitch Ratings recently affirmed the toll road's solid "AA" rating. But Fitch noted that adding significant debt for projects not on the turnpike could be a negative factor in the future.

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat from Toledo, said residents of northern Ohio "achieved their first victory" in keeping the turnpike from a private company.

In a news release, Kaptur said she would evaluate a detailed study of the turnpike, released with Kasich's announcement (see the analysis below).

That 10-month, $3.4 million study of what to do with the turnpike was viewed skeptically by many turnpike supporters, including Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald and a number of county commissioners.

They held several public meetings where residents slammed the idea of privatizing the turnpike. FitzGerald, a Democrat considering a run for governor, joined his colleagues in taking credit Thursday for deflecting Kasich's "misguided attempt to privatize the turnpike."

A local county commissioner took exception to the stance. Portage County Commissioner Tommie Jo Marsilio, a Republican, said FitzGerald never gave Kasich or the turnpike study a chance.

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